Tag: Steve Bedrosian Page 1 of 3

TWIWBL 88.5: Off Season Review – Birmingham Black Barons

On March 4, 2026

75 - 87, .463 pct.
5th in Marvin Miller Division, 10 GB

Overall

This was such a weird year for Birmingham. They were absolute horrid out of the gate, very strong from June through August, and then faded at the end. During all of that, they (once again) traded away an all star, found some surprising talent on their own roster, and scored way too few runs, despite hitting the ball out of the park with shocking regularity.

Once more it feels like the Black Barons are a couple strokes of luck away from either championship contention or being the worst team in the league. It all centers around making the offense more effective overall, and realizing some of the immense potential in their starting rotation.

What Went Right

Jim Pagliaroni exceeds all expectations, hitting for geometrically more power than anyone could have expected. His .958 OPS made him an elite catcher in the WBL. At 32, it may not last, but it was quite a shock, for sure.

Hank Aaron is right on the verge of superstardom, leading the team in HR (51) and RBI (105). He only drew 16 walks, emblematic of some of Birmingham’s team-wide struggles.

Two players brought in via trade excelled–or, more accurately, performed pretty much as expected. Paul Konerko and Ryan Braun each showed extraordinary power, and Konerko’s plate discipline is desperately needed in Birmingham.

At 23, Eddie Mathews’46 homeruns, 90 RBIs, 99 runs, and 80 walks sure seem like things that went right. But a .224 average and only 12 non-homerun extra base hits are not great.

Harley Young emerged as an excellent option at the back of the bullpen, finishing the year with 15 saves and a 2.29 ERA.

Akinori Otsuka, another trade acquisition, immediately steps into the setup role to get Young the ball.

Fred Fussell was excellent in limited work, laying claim to a role in the bullpen next year.

ALL STARS
Harley Young.
Jim Whitney was selected, but later traded.

MAJOR AWARDS

Ryan Braun, NL 2nd Team of the Year
Paul Konerko, NL Team of the Year

RECOGNITIONS

JP Arencibia, NL All Rookie 2nd Team
Fred Fussell, NL All Rookie 2nd Team
Albert Belle, NL Over 30 Team
Paul Konerko, NL Over 30 Team
Jim Pagliaroni, NL Over 30 Team

ORGANIZATIONAL AWARDS

Jim Pagliaroni, MVP
Harley Young, Pitcher of the Year
Hank Aaron, Heart & Soul
JP Arencibia, Fan Favorite

Gio González, Minor League Pitcher of the Year
Melky Cabrera, Minor League Player of the Year

What Went Wrong

Despite decent speed and walk rate, Cupid Childs‘s offense was so weak, the Black Barons decided to move on, trading for Bobby Grich. Grich belongs here, too, as while the overall shape of his offense is very strong, the level of performance is distressingly low.

SS was weak all year, eventually devolving into a platoon between Herman Long and Troy Tulowitzki. An upgrade here would be quite a boon.

It’s not clear what to do with Curtis Granderson: 41 homers is good, but a .206 average is most certainly not and, when you think of it, 41 homers with a SLG below .500 is pretty worrisome.

Adrián González continues to be a disappointment, hitting just enough to keep squandering his opportunities. His platoon split was pretty profound, so that may be the solution here next season.

And then there’s the pitching. All the pitching.

We can start with Greg Maddux (10-14, 5.35) and Alejandro Peña (8-11, 5.59), who allowed 109 homeruns between them. Maddux has great stuff, but cannot seem to harness it and Peña looks little more than innings eater at this point.

Bruce Chen had 12 holds, but was rocked more often then not, posting a 6.85 ERA with a 1.49 WHIP.

Warren Spahn continues to be terrible in the WBL, posting an ERA over 8 across 56 innings.

Transactions

March

P Andy Pettitte, OF Mickey Rivers, 3rd Round Pick to NYY for OF Albert Belle, P Frank Viola, P Lefty Gomez, IF Jess Barbour.

A win for both teams, and a trade that still may work out for Birmingham: Belle has been as advertised, Gomez looks a mid-rotation WBL starter, and both Viola and Barbour hold promise.

OF Bill Buckner, OF Joe Rudi to MEM for OF David Justice, IF Ozzie Albies, 2nd Round Pick.

Who knows? Only Rudi has seen the WBL, but they all have some potential, although time is running out for the 32-year old Justice.

July

Birmingham still felt they had a shot at this point, and decided to make some noise, trading Whitney–a clear all-star having a great season–to try to bring their offense up a notch.

P Jim Whitney, OF Andy Pafko, OF José Cruz, 2nd Round Pick to MCG for OF Ryan Braun, IF Richie Sexson, 7th Round Pick.

Whitney is a rare gem on the mound, and ultimately Birmingham may regret this deal, especially with how well Pafko performed for Miami. But Braun is a great talent, and will only see more time as Belle and Konerko age.

August

And now, an even more desperate play for offense.

P Sam Streeter, IF Trea Turner, 5th Round Pick to CAG for P Akinori Otsuka, IF Paul Konerko, OF Lenny Dykstra, 3rd Round Pick.

Chicago was tanking at this point. Trade feels fine–Otskuka and Konerko’s present value for Turner’s future, and whatever the American Giants can get from Streeter.

C Gene Tenace, P Vic Wilis, 1st Round Pick to LAA for IF Bobby Grich, 3rd Round Pick.

This one came out of nowhere. Grich may be a solve at 2B for Birmingham for years to come, but the price was steep: Willis has a very live arm and a first round pick is a first round pick (Tenace is good, but was pretty blocked here, so his loss is more acceptable).

Positional Overview

C

An interesting challenge for Birmingham here. Pagliaroni clearly is the incumbent, and the fan base fell in love with Arencibia, who also can help out at 1B.

But Joe Torre slashed 282/362/584 at AAA as a 21 year old, and his WBL arrival has to be imminent.

Beyond that, only Earl Battey looks to have a WBL future at some point down the road.

1B

This will be Konerko for a while: his core skillset (power and walks) ages well.

If Adrián González doesn’t impress in Spring Training, look for young Nate Colbert to get a chance, although Colbert probably needs another year in the minors.

There’s some depth here: Frank McCormick, Hal Trosky, Ron Fairly, and Jake Beckley all have some WBL talent.

2B

We’ll see. The Black Barons traded Tom Herr, were shocked by how effective Cupid Childs was, then decided to move on, anointing Bobby Grich as their future. Grich does seem to be the real deal, even if his production this year was lower than hoped.

Ray Durham will get a chance in the Spring to be Grich’s backup.

Beyond that, there is some decent youth: Ozzie Albies, Marcus Giles, Jess Barbour, and Reddy Mack all have some talent and all are under 22.

SS

This is an issue throughout the system.

Right now, it looks like the platoon between Long and Tulowitzki will continue, with George McBride available at AAA if a purely defensive situation were desired.

3B

It’s still Eddie Mathews, and there is hope his overall offensive performance will nudge upwards.

If he falters, the most likely help would come from Pie Traynor.

LF/RF

This is set, with Braun in one corner and Aaron on the other.

Tommy Davis was spectacular in September, but the 23 year old would probably be better served by starting at AAA as opposed to warming the bench.

Gary Matthews is probably the best talent here, but he’s several years off.

CF

This is Granderson’s role for now, but there are rumors that Curt Flood may be given a strong look, and the organization’s Minor League Player of the Year, Melky Cabrera, is coming behind Flood.

DH

Albert Belle is going to see most of the time here, although there are emerging concerns about his bat speed.

SP

It’s probably one more year of hoping that Peña, Maddux, and Lefty Gomez can turn it around, with John Malarkey and Rube Melton the most likely to round out the rotation, although Warren Spahn and Bill Phyle will get looks in Spring Training as well.

There are some voices advocating that Peña move to the bullpen, which would open up another rotation spot.

There’s some likely help at AAA in Pretzels Getzien, Alex Malloy, and Charlie Morton, but the highest ceilings in the organization are probably teenager Steve Avery and Gio González at AA.

RP

Harley Young is the presumed closer, with Otsuka and Fussell assured of spots as well. As long as Chen doesn’t retire or totally bomb out in Spring Training, he should be there as well.

There’s a lot of moderately useful talent in the minors, but only Carlos Diaz and, perhaps, Steve Bedrosian, have arms that truly impress.

Draft Outlook

DRAFT PICKS

1st Round: 0
2nd Round: 1
3rd Round: 2
4th Round: 1
5th Round: 0

This is not the year the system gets replenished. SS and 3B may be the areas of greatest need.

TWIWBL 62.5: Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On June 26, 2024

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

Steve Bedrosian has been getting absolutely torched, prompting the Black Barons to recall Harley Young from his rehab assignment and waive Bedrosian with the hope of sending him to AAA.

Young picked up a save in his first outing as 2 homeruns from Adrián González helped the Black Barons to a 9-6 victory in 10 innings over the House of David. Bob Nieman had 3 hits, with the win going to Juan Ríncón who moved to 2-0 on the year.

While defensive versatility has its place it has to hit more than 136/255/205. Jess Barbour heads to AAA with Gene Tenace being recalled, making the Black Barons one of the few teams to carry three catchers, as JP Arencibia‘s hot start is too promising to send down quite yet.

Albert Belle went deep twice as the Black Barons hit 6 homeruns (Jim Pagliaroni, Curtis Granderson, Nieman, and Arencibia also hit longballs) and beat the House of David, 7-4.

González did it again, homering twice in a 5-4 victory over the House of David. Warren Spahn was excellent in release, and Bruce Chen picked up his 3rd save of the season.

#Houston Colt 45’s

Some roster shakeup is pending, as George Brett started a rehab assignment in the minors, making his way back from an injury picked up in Spring Training. Kent Tekulve was waived, with Andrew Chafin being recalled from a rehab assignment.

Jimmy Wynn went deep twice, but the real story was Toad Ramsey, who improved to 5-1 and saw his ERA dip below 1.00 with a 3 hit shutout of Ottawa. Wynn drove in 3 and Ramsey fanned 12 in the dominant 10-0 shellacking.

Brett was recalled with César Cedeño heading to the minors as expected. Cedeño showed some promise, but ultimately was overmatched by big league pitching.

Jeff Bagwell exploded fully out of his slump with a spectacular performance, going 5 for 5 with 3 homeruns to lead the Colt 45’s to a 12 to 6 victory over Ottawa. Bagwell added a double for 15 total bases, scored 4 times, and drove in 7, all of which overshadowed Brett’s debut in which he went 2 for 2 with a homerun of his own.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

Adam Dunn went deep twice, leading Indianapolis to a 5-3 win over Houston. Dunn, Johnny Bench, Joey Votto, and Luis Padrón each had 2 hits for the ABC’s who got an excellent 7 innings from Sad Sam Jones, who picked up his first win of the year with Rob Dibble closing the door for his 5th save.

Padrón is putting something special together so far this year. He hit his 2nd homerun and improved his average to a smooth .400 while improving his record on the mound to 5-0 with nearly 8 innings of strong work in a 6-3 victory over Houston. Padrón drove in 3 and Dunn also went deep for Indianapolis with Dibble picking up his 6th save of the year.

#Kansas City Monarchs

Robinson Canó went deep twice, but it wasn’t enough as the Monarchs fell to the Gothams, 7-5.

TWIWBL 61.5: Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On June 14, 2024

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

Bill Phyle‘s time at with the big league club was minimal, as Steve Bedrosian‘s return from the DL sent Phyle back to AAA. Harley Young began a rehab assignment, signaling more good news for the Black Barons’ bullpen.

The starting rotation was supposed to be a strength for Birmingham. Instead, it’s in shambles and, even though it’s early, some changes are in store, most notably Lefty Gomez replacing Vic Willis in the rotation. Jim Whitney is also pushing for a spot, with some pressure on Sam Streeter and John Malarkey to step it up in their next starts.

Jess Barbour‘s miserable start to the year will result in some reduced playing time, but his defensive flexibility keeps him on the roster.

Alejandro Peña was ridiculously good, allowing only 1 hit in over 8 innings, but he wasn’t around when Herman Long drove in the winning run with a 2 out single in the bottom of the 9th, giving Birmingham a 1-0 walkoff win over Brooklyn.

Curtis Granderson went deep twice as the Black Barons lost to Brooklyn, 5-4. Greg Maddux had an encouraging start for Birmingham, but Bedrosian imploded, giving up 2 homeruns in the 8th.

#Houston Colt 45’s

Toad Ramsey was magnificent, striking out 12 and allowing only a single hit in a 1-0 win over Kansas City. Carlos Correa extended his 28 game hitting streak with 2 doubles and Craig Biggio drove in HR Johnson for the game’s sole tally.

Correa’s hitting streak ended at 29 games, but 2 homeruns from Casey Stengel, along with solo shots from Tony Gwynn and Jeff Bagwell carried Houston to an 8-6 win over Birmingham. Stengel drove in 4 and Gwynn had 3 hits.

Correa bounced right back, sending a ball into the Crawford Seats for a walkoff 3 run homer in a 5-2 win over Birmingham.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

2 homers from Johnny Bench and 3 hits from Oscar Charleston weren’t enough as the ABC’s fell to Homestead, 5-4.

Gorham Leverett‘s spell with the ABC’s was awfully short, as an oblique injury forced him to the DL. Lynn Brenton was recalled from AAA to take Leverett’s spot.

TWIWBL 59.5: Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On May 21, 2024

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

Both Steve Bedrosian and John Malarkey were injured on the mound, forcing Birmingham to turn to 1B Jake Beckley to close out the 17-7 drubbing at Houston’s hands. Neither Malarkey nor Bedrosian are expected to miss more than a week or so, but the team really can’t afford to carry both for that duration. Bedrosian was pushed to the DL, with Warren Spahn being recalled from AAA.

#Houston Colt 45’s

Craig Biggio had 2 triples, Andrés Galarraga 3 hits, and Grant Johnson 3 RBI’s as the Colt 45’s blew out Birmingham, 12-2. Toad Ramsey went the distance for Houston, improving to 1-1.

The Colt 45’s offense kept rolling as Tony Gwynn, Johnson, and Russ Adams had 3 hits each to lead Houston to a 17-7 win over Birmingham. Gwynn went 3-for-6, and say his BA go down, a testament to how strong his start to the year has been.

Two amazing performances from an 11-0 thrashing of the Gothams: Gwynn had 3 hits including 2 homeruns and drove in 5 and Ramsey was the first WBL hurler to notch double digit strikeouts in a game, ending with 11 whiffs in just over 7 innings of work. Ramsey had the knuckler working, but only walked 1 and Bones Ely finished the game by striking out 3 of the 5 batters he faced. HR Johnson, Biggio, Pete Hill, and Galarraga each went deep for the Colt 45’s. Perhaps most surprising of all, both Gwynn and Hill hit absolute bombs, Gwynn’s going 512 ft and Hill’s a whopping 538.

Roger Clemens delivered a complete game, 3-hit shutout as Houston beat the Gothams, 2-0. Jeff Bagwell showed signs of emerging from his slump with 3 hits and his first homerun of the year, and Clemens walked one and whiffed 5 in moving to 2-0 on the year.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

Joe Morgan will miss about a month with a sprained ankle. Tommy Helms was recalled from AAA.

#Kansas City Monarchs

Albert Pujols went deep twice, and he and Ducky Medwick drove in 4 runs each as the Monarchs topped the Grays, 10-6.

Boog Powell hit his first 2 homeruns of the year in a 12-6 victory over Birmingham. Stan Musial and Robinson Canó had 3 hits each for the Monarchs.

Smokey Joe Wood improved to 2-0 and has yet to allow an earned run as he delivered 8 innings of 2-hit ball in a 6-1 triumph over Homestead. Pujols had 4 hits and Willie McGee 3 hits and 2 RBIs for Kansas City.

#Wandering House of David

Just when things were looking up for the House of David: Pete Browning has once again hit the DL, this time for about a month with an oblique issue. 1B/OF Bob Robertson was promoted to take Browning’s roster spot.

George Stone had 3 hits and Bob Rush carried a shutout into the 9th inning as the House of David beat the ABC’s 6-2. Stone went deep, as did Ernie Banks, whose grand slam in the 4th was his first dinger of the year. Rush improved to 2-1.

Season Review: Birmingham Black Barons

By mknn

On December 27, 2023

In Season Reviews, Team News

84 - 71, .541 pct.
2nd in Marvin Miller Division, 1 game behind.
Lost in Wild Card Round to Detroit

Overall

The media darling of the year: from a dozen games below .500 and clearly selling top end talent to a one game playoff with Portland to determine the division title. Birmingham navigated the trade periods with a skill unmatched in the league, adding and removing talent in a way that seemed to always hit the right balance, leaving the team both better and better positioned for the future.

Still, unless some serious issues with the offense are resolved, it’s not clear how far the superlative pitching can actually carry them next season.

What Went Right

Honestly, not a lot in terms of offense. Eddie Mathews and Hank Aaron showed the potential to be stars, but at the end of the day, had fairly pedestrian seasons, especially for their positions. Bob Nieman was a pleasant surprise, and Cupid Childs and Jim Pagliaroni both came in late in the season (Childs from the minors, Paglioaroni via trade) and did well at 2B and C respectively.

The Black Barons seemed to survive on always having someone who was hot enough to carry them: 3B Pie Traynor started off mashing the ball before fading dramatically at the end of the season; both Herman Long and Curtis Granderson took their turns, and Adrián González, whose overall numbers look pretty anemic, was actually quite good for Birmingham after a horrid start to the season with Chicago.

Most of what went right for Birmingham happened on the mound, where Alejandro Peña and mid-season acquisition Andy Pettitte were magnificent, combining with Scott Baker, Vic Willis, and Greg Maddux to form a very impressive rotation, rivalling Baltimore’s in quality top to bottom.

After being named the closer, Juan Rincón did an excellent job, and Harley Young, Steve Bedrosian, and Bruce Chen were solid getting to Rincón.

But you really can’t say enough about Peña and Pettitte, who accounted for nearly 400 quality innings over the course of the season.

Finally, see the Transactions section: somehow Birmingham got rid of their two all-stars as well as some other top end talent, and got better.

ALL STARS
2B Tom Herr; SP Tim Hudson

What Went Wrong

In summary: nobody was great, and few were good.

Lots of players were given plenty of opportunity: Traynor, Al Schweitzer, Troy Tulowitzki, Omar Infante, and Ginger Beaumont all had at least 30 games to show their stuff, and none did anything of note, leaving the MI and one OF position up in the air for far too long.

Hmmm … not much went wrong on the mound. Carlos Diaz only lasted 14 games as closer and Warren Spahn did quite poorly in about 60 innings, indicating that for all his talent, another year in the minors may be needed.

Transactions

March

None

June

P Tim Hudson to San Francisco for P Rube Melton, OF Derrick May & 3rd Round Pick {Gary Matthews}

Given Hudson’s immediate implosion, seems fine, although given Birmingham’s resurgence, perhaps he would have been “the difference.”

P Hoyt Wilhelm & P Dick Rudolph to Chicago for OF Melky Cabrera, P A. Rube Foster, 1B Adrián González & 2nd Round Pick {Trea Turner}

Seems like a win long term for sure, and even this year, González was key for the Black Sox.

2B Tom Herr to New York Black Yankees for IF Reddy Mack, OF Bill Buckner, P Heathcliff Slocumb, OF Charlie Keller, 1B Moose Skowron & 10th Round Pick

It’s a lot of bodies for sure, but it’s also not clear any of them have a better year than Herr did, and usually the team that gets the best player wins the trade. So, unknown.

IF Frank Isbell to Brooklyn for OF Curt Flood, IF Manny Trillo & 6th Round Pick {Steve Avery}

All depends on how Flood develops, but seems fine, especially with the González deal earlier.

July

SS Woody English & 3B Candy Jim Taylor to Memphis for C Jim Pagliaroni & 4th Round Pick {Adam Kennedy}

Pagliaroni was great for Birmingham; even with that, Taylor may end up being a star, so they may have overpaid here.

C Dale Murphy, P A. Rube Foster, 4th Round Pick & 2nd Round Pick to Kansas City for P Andy Pettitte

It would be a shock of Birmingham didn’t regret this in a few years. It was still a good trade, as without Pettitte, they never make the postseason.

Looking Forward

SP

Pitching should continue to be the hallmark of this club. Even with Peña and Pettitte aging out at some point, a future rotation of Greg Maddux, Vic Willis, Sam Streeter, Jim Whitney, and Warren Spahn looks quite impressive.

RP

Juan Rincón is the presumed closer, and even if both Bruce Chen and Harley Young prove to be short-term solutions, both Steve Bedrosian and minor leaguer Rick Camp look capable of anchoring a deep bullpen into the future.

C

Right now this is Jim Pagliaroni and Gene Tenace, but it’s an area of long term need.

1B

There is a transition here from Frank McCormick to Adrián González to the potential of Nate Colbert. None of those project as stars, so an upgrade could be in order.

2B

Cupid Childs filled in well for Tom Herr, but there really isn’t a long term solution here.

3B

The question is if Eddie Mathews is solid, or if he develops into a star, but this is Mathews’ position.

SS

Herman Long was impressive, but hit a very deep slump at the end of the season. For now, he will continue with Troy Tulowitzki as his backup.

LF

This is all very patchwork: Bob Nieman for now with some constant mixture of Joe Rudi, Billy Southworth, and perhaps eventually, Alfonso Soriano.

CF

Curtis Granderson is good enough for now, but eventually they will have to figure out what to do with him and Curt Flood.

RF

See the comment about Mathews, but there is more optimism that Hank Aaron becomes a star.

The Rookie Draft

Rounds 1-4

With 6 selections in the first four rounds, Birmingham hopes to restock its system with offensive production. They start with a franchise pick that may fill an areas of need long term, drafting C Joe Torre. Their 2nd round pick’s future is less clear, but whether Trea Turner ends up on the infield or CF, he should help in a year or two. Gary Matthews, their first of two picks in the 3rd round, should arrive earlier, but doesn’t have Turner’s ceiling.

At some point, long term potential just starts to overshadow concerns about fit: that was the case with José Cruz, with the 22 year old joining Birmingham with their 2nd pick in the 3rd round. Cruz may never develop enough power to be a star, but he has a pure stroke and has been on the board far longer then he should have.

The Black Barons used their final franchise exception on MI Adam Kennedy with their first pick in the fourth round and picked up a late bloomer, 27 year old SP Bob Smith, later in the round.

Rounds 5-8

The Black Barons have decent depth, so they can really take the best available talent. At some point, they need to pickup a 1B and a C, but in the 6th round it was lefty Steve Avery followed by 2B Marcus Giles–Giles is just too much better than the rest of their franchise selections to risk losing. George H. Stone was their 7th round selection and C Greg Olson their 8th.

Rounds 9-12

P Bill James, P Kerry Ligtenberg; P Eddie Solomon; P Kid Madden; 1B Del Bissonette.

TWIWBL 48.6: The Playoffs! Wild Card Round, Day III – September 18

By mknn

On September 18, 2023

In 2000 Playoffs, Featured Games, TWIWBL

All four series now shift locations. Today is a key day: Portland, Detroit, New York, and Baltimore all hold 2-0 leads, making this pretty much a must-win day for Chicago, Birmingham, Cleveland, and the House of David.

#Portland Sea Dogs @ Chicago American Giants, Game 3

Portland leads, 2-0.

Dizzy Trout (7-5, 4.18) will take the mound for Portland, opposed by Ed Walsh (8-3, 3.26). Walsh is a bit of a wild card for the American Giants, having made only 11 starts during the season, but with Dick Rudolph struggling down the stretch, he’s emerged as a solid choice for a game Chicago knows it has to win.

Walsh worked out of a bases loaded jam in the 3rd, and with Trout only allowing one hit–a single to Freddy Parent–we were scoreless through three innings. We stayed that way until the 5th, when a Joe Mauer single scored Gil Hodges for the game’s first run. Again, Walsh faced a bases-loaded jam, but after whiffing Kent Hrbek, he walked Gavvy Cravath to force in a second run, which also prompted a call to Chicago’s bullpen, bringing in Don Newcombe, who gave up a 2-RBI single to Rogers Hornsby, making it 4-0 in favor of Portland.

Frank Thomas broke up the shutout, knocking home Freddy Parent in the bottom of the 6th. Duffy Lewis followed with a double, and that was it for Trout, who gave way to Mark Melancon. Dick Allen greeted Melancon with a sharp single to right, scoring both Thomas and Lewis, pulling Chicago within a run.

Eddie Collins picked a heckuva time to announce himself: he was hitless in the series until he rocked a Trevor Hoffman slider into the right field seats with Parent on base. Chicago had come all the way back to take a 5-4 lead. Hoffman gave up a further walk and a single, but Elmer Brown came in to prevent any further damage.

That setup the 9th inning Chicago had hoped for all along: AJ Minter on the mound against the lefty dominant lineup of the Sea Dogs. Three up, three down, and Chicago was back in the series led by Parent’s 3 hits and Collins’ key clout.

POR 4 (Hoffman 1-1, 1 B Sv; Melancon 1 H) @ CAG 5 (Sanders 1-0; Minter 1 Sv)
HRs: POR – none; CAG – Collins (1).
Box Score

#Detroit Wolverines @ Birmingham Black Barons, Game 3

Detroit leads, 2-0.

This is an interesting matchup, with Detroit sending Charlie Root (10-6, 3.53 overall, but 5-1, 2.62 since joining the Wolverines) to face Greg Maddux, who overcame some early season struggles to end the season at 6-7, 3.53.

Detroit would score first, as Oscar Gamble and Al Kaline each took Maddux deep in the second inning. Ed Bailey would add a moon shot of his own in the 4th, putting the Wolverines in front, 6-0. A walk and a single chased Maddux, but Sam Streeter was able to get out of the inning without further harm.

With Root only allowing 3 hits through 5 innings, Detroit looked like they were sailing towards a dominant series lead. But Pie Traynor and Bob Nieman led off the 6th with singles, and a double from Hank Aaron scored the first 2 runs of the day for the Black Barons, chasing Root from the game. His repalcement, Justin Verlander, was solid, escaping the inning without allowing more runs despite allowing a walk.

That brought us to the top of the 7th, with the Wolverines leading, 6-2.

A double by Ty Cobb–only the 2nd hit allowed by Streeter–brought in Larry Benton for Birmingham, who allowed an RBI single to Hank Greenberg before escaping the inning. The Wolverines threatened again in the 8th, but a tired Bruce Chen was called on to face Cobb, and induced an inning-ending double play without letting the 5 run deficit get any worse.

But all it did was delay the inevitable, with Detroit going up 3-0 in the series with the 7-2 win. George Davis had 3 hits in support of Detroit’s three long balls, but the real story might be Maddux having very bad timing to have arguably his worst outing of the season.

Both bullpens were excellent with Verlander and John Hiller combining to allow only 2 hits in 4 innings for Detroit and, while hit a little harder, Streeter, Benton, Harley Young, Chen, and Steve Bedrosian held the Wolverines to 1 run over 5 innings.

DET 7 (Root 1-0) @ BBB 2 (Maddux 0-1)
HRs: DET – Gamble (1), Kaline (1), E. Bailey (1); BBB – none.
Box Score

#Cleveland Spiders v New York Gothams, Game 3

New York leads 2-0.

Cleveland will hope Cy Young can slow the Gothams down. The Gothams had a more difficult choice picking between Juan Marichal (13-9, 5.47) and Don Sutton (6-8, 4.94). In the end, they went with Marichal, partially because Sutton was far more used to coming out of the bullpen.

Both teams tweaked their lineups slightly: for Cleveland, they still have been unable to find a way to get Lance Berkman in the starting lineup, preferring to have Kenny Lofton and Tris Speaker back to back at the top of the lineup, but they did replace Sammy Strang at 3B with Jim Gantner. The Gothams’changes were a little more drastic, with George Van Haltren starting in RF and Benny Kauff at DH.

Cleveland’s choices paid immediate dividends: Lofton led off the game with a double and scored on Speaker’s single. Perhaps more importantly for the Spiders, Ron Blomberg picked up his first hit of the series, a comebacker through the middle for a single. Marichal settled down, allowing only one more run despite loading the bases.

The Gothams’ response was immediate: Jimmy Sheckard singled, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Pete Runnels. Despite a Buster Posey double and another wild pitch by Young, the Gothams only managed the single tally, ending the first inning trailing 2-1.

Singles to lead off the 4th by Louis Santop and Arky Vaughan brought in Sutton in relief of Marichal. He shut the door, retiring Gantner, Lofton, and Speaker in succession.

Kauff took Young deep in the 5th to tie the game at 2, but the Cleveland starter closed out the inning. He was chased from the game in the 6th, after giving up 2 hits and a walk to start the inning (Sheckard led off with a hit, but was caught stealing). In came Yordano Ventura, who surrendered a sharp hit to Willie Mays, but Lofton was able to gun down Runnels at the plate to preserve the tie.

Sutton was fantastic, most likely sealing his role as a starter should the Gothams progress, allowing only a hit in just over 3 innings. He was relieved by Steve Howe, who had been erratic all year, but usually effective against lefties. Howe came through here: a routine grounder from Lofton was bobbled by Runnels, but Speaker flew out and Blomberg grounded into a double play.

And from there, things just got more and more tense as the bullpens proved their worth until Mays led off the bottom of the 9th with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from Johan Camargo, and scored on a base hit from Will Clark.

The key here for New York was their bullpen, as it has been all year, although there were some different names involved this time: Sutton, Howe, and Robb Nen combined to allow only 2 hits over 6 innings.

On the whole, the managerial choices proved solid: Gantner had a hit and Kauff the key homerun.

CLE 2 (Porter 0-1) @ NYG 3 (Nen 1-0)
HRs: CLE – none; NYG – Kauff (1).
Box Score

#Baltimore Black Sox v Wandering House of David, Game 3

Baltimore leads 2-0.

Baltimore had indicated that Mike Mussina would get the third start, but have opted instead for Connie Johnson, one of the hottest arms in the league. Johnson was 9-5 on the year with a 3.65 ERA, so he’s been pretty stellar throughout. The House of David will counter as planned, with Frank Sullivan (9-10, 4.77).

For Baltimore, Baby Doll Jacobson will get the start in CF in place of Paul Blair. The House of David react to a somewhat desperate situation with Ron Santo and Joe Harris both joining the starting lineup in place of Richie Hebner and Anthony Rizzo, a move questioned by fans, given the choice to give up the platoon advantage.

Baltimore wasted no time: Bobby Wallace led off the game with a triple and scored on a long flyball from Larry Gardner. A homerun from Dan McGann in the top of the second doubled the lead to 2-0.

Sullivan settled down after that, but Johnson was just that much better, striking out 7 over 5 scoreless innings.

Wade Miley relieved Sullivan, but not effectively: two walks and a 3-run homer from Ken Singleton pushed the Black Sox lead to 5-0.

A glimmer of hope for the House of David in the 7th, when Pete Browning took Jim Palmer deep with a man on, cutting the deficit to 5-2. Which is how it ended: the House of David had their chances, but couldn’t come through when it mattered, and now face the steepest of uphill climbs.

McGann had 3 hits for Baltimore; Ryne Sandberg and Dan Ford 2 each for the House of David.

BAL 5 (Johnson 1-0; Groom 2 Sv; Beggs 1 H) @ HOD 2 (Sullivan 0-1)
HRs: BAL – McGann (1), Singleton (2); HoD – Browning (2).
Box Score

TWIWBL 48.4: The Playoffs! Wild Card Round, Day I – September 15

By mknn

On September 13, 2023

In 2000 Playoffs, Featured Games, TWIWBL

We’ll be going day by day here as the playoff series evolve.

#Birmingham Black Barons v Detroit Wolverines, Game I

Series preview here.

With Alejandro Peña not fully rested, Birmingham turns to ERA champ Andy Pettitte in Game 1 with Detroit countering with Hal Newhouser in a lefty v lefty matchup.

A walk, a sacrifice bunt, an infield hit, and a long 3-run homer: just like that, Detroit took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first as a Hank Greenberg longball scored Tony Phillips and Ty Cobb. Birmingham would scratch a run back in the 3rd on an RBI single by Frank McCormick, another in the 4th on an RBI double from Cupid Childs, and another in the 5th to tie the game, this one an RBI single from Hank Aaron.

Greenberg gave the Wolverines the lead again in the bottom of the 5th with a single scoring Bob Bailey, but Birmingham would tie it up in the top of the 7th as McCormick brought home Bob Nieman.

It would stay that way until the top of the 9th, when Detroit left John Hiller in one batter too long, and Pie Traynor–much maligned after a hot start earlier in the year–took him deep with Al Schweitzer on base, putting the Black Barons up, 6-4.

Juan Rincón was called in to close it out, but couldn’t, eventually surrendering a 2 out, bases loaded single to Bill Carrigan to tie the game. Rincón walked Al Kaline to load the bases again, and was relieved by Steve Bedrosian … who promptly walked Chili Davis, forcing in the winning run.

McCormick and Nieman had 3 hits each for Birmingham, while Bob Bailey had 3 for the Wolverines.

This one could hurt: with neither Pettitte or Newhouser really pitching as expected, the Black Barons had done well to come back to tie the game, and then Traynor’s shot in the 9th seemed to have the victory stolen. Instead, Detroit takes the first game in an improbable fashion.

BBB 6 (Rincón 0-1, 1 B Sv) @ DET 7 (Anderson 1-0; Bradford 1 B Sv)
HRs: BBB – Traynor (1); DET – Greenberg (1).
Box Score

#Chicago American Giants v Portland Sea Dogs, Game 1

Series preview here.

Game one is a matchup of each team’s ace, which also reveals the gap in pitching between the sides. For Chicago, Tricky Nichols takes the mound with a record of 15-9 and a 4.14 ERA. Nichols has been good all year, clearly a top of rotation type starter. But Portland gets to run out The Big Train, with Walter Johnson ending the season 14-5 with a 3.50 ERA in a season punctuated by a few spells of absolute dominance.

Gil Hodges launched an offering from Nichols into the stands in the bottom of the 3rd for a 1-0 Portland lead, and Gavvy Cravath doubled it later in the inning with an RBI single. Hodges would do it again in the 4th, sending his 2nd home of the game over the wall for a 3-0 lead.

On the other side, Johnson had faced 9 batters through 3 innings (an HBP and a caught stealing were in there, so not a perfect 3 innings). Eddie Collins walked to leadoff the third, but he was caught leaning the wrong way on a snap throw by Portland catcher Joe Mauer. Dick Allen finally notched Chicago’s first hit of the game, a single in the top of the 5th.

Nichols was left in one batter too long, and again it was Hodges, whose third homerun of the day put Portland up, 6-0. Hodges, who finished with 5 RBIs, didn’t get a chance to hit a 4th, as Portland cruised to the win. This performance makes Hodges the first player in WBL history to hit 3 homeruns in a game on 2 separate occasions.

Cravath had 3 hits for the Sea Dogs. Johnson finished with 7 scoreless, allowing only 3 hits.

CAG 0 (Nichols 0-1) @ POR 7 (Johnson 1-0)
HRs: CAG – none; POR – Hodges 3 (3).
Box Score

#New York Gothams v Cleveland Spiders, Game 1

Series preview here.

The WBL’s only 2 17 game winners are matched in the opening game of the series (New York’s Christy Mathewson and Cleveland’s Pat Malone), with the only real question being how Cleveland would work wunderkind Tris Speaker into its lineup (Speaker was called up when Johnny Callison hit the DL, Callison is back now). Today, it’s Kenny Lofton as the odd man out, with Speaker starting in centerfield–essentially the Spiders deciding to keep MPV candidate Ron Blomberg, John Ellis, and Jake Stahl all in the lineup.

In the top of the 3rd, New York’s Jimmy Sheckard singled and stole second, and then scored on a 2-out singly by Buster Posey. Willie Mays plated Posey with a double, and the Gothams took a 2-0 lead.

It took until the fifth inning for the Spiders to get their first hit: a single from Ellis, who was left stranded at second. Cleveland had some more base runners–Matty hit 2 batters in the 6th and gave up a walk in the 7th–but no further hits through 7 innings.

With Mathewson on 109 pitches, New York had him on a short leash in the 9th. He got the first 2 outs easily, but a Jake Stahl single brought in the Gothams’ dominant closer, Brian Wilson, to face Chuck Knoblauch. An easy pop fly to right later, and the Gothams were up, 1-0 in the series.

Mays had 2 hits, but the real story was Matthewson, who allowed 2 hits through 8 2/3, striking out 8 and walking 2.

NYG 2 (Mathewson 1-0; Wilson 1 Sv) @ CLE 0 (Malone 0-1)
HRs: None.
Box Score

#Wandering House of David v Baltimore Black Sox, Game 1

Series preview here.

Some may have been surprised that Baltimore turned to Bill Byrd instead of Dennis Martínez for game one, but Byrd has been on fire lately and certainly deserves the recognition as the Black Sox’s best. The House of David’s choice was more obvious, with Jack Taylor–despite a bit of a late season fade–being their clear ace.

A Frank Robinson double plated Bobby Wallace in the bottom of the first for an early 1-0 lead for Baltimore. Manny Machado made it 3-0 with a 2 run shot in the second.

Taylor settled down, but in the bottom of the fifth, gave up 2 singles before plonking Robinson, loading the bases with 1 out. But Taylor emerged unscathed, with the score still 3-0. The problem for the House of David was that Byrd was pitching excellently, allowing only a single hit through his 5 innings of work.

Jim Edmonds led off the 8th with the House of David’s second hit, a double to centerfield. A Richie Hebner single chased Byrd in favor of Gregg Olson, who emerged from the inning unscathed.

Kerry Wood‘s playoff debut was much rougher, as he gave up a wind aided grand slam to Ken Singleton, pushing the Black Sox ahead, 7-0.

And so we have our third shutout of the opening day of the playoffs–and the second that finished 7-0. Wallace had 3 hits, but the star was Byrd, striking out 4 and yielding only 3 hits in just over 7 innings.

HOD 0 (Taylor 0-1) @ BAL 7 (Byrd 1-0; Olson 1 Sv)
HRs: HOD – none; BAL – Machado (1), Singleton (1).
Box Score

TWIWBL 48.1: Playoff Previews – Birmingham Black Barons @ Detroit Wolverines

By mknn

On September 7, 2023

In 2000 Playoffs, Series Previews, TWIWBL

Detroit had the second best record in baseball, so they get a matchup with the #7 seed, the Cinderalla story Birmingham Black Barons.

#Detroit Wolverines

The Wolverines are significantly better than they were when the year started, as the conversion of Gene Conley (12-6, 3.28) into a full time starter and the acquisition of Charlie Root (10-6, 3.53 overall and 5-1, 2.62 with Detroit) has moved their starting from passable to dominant, led by Hal Newhouser (8-4, 3.06) and Hank Aguirre (9-10, 4.34) and possibly leaving Johnny Marcum (11-4, 4.40) out of the playoff rotation.

Chad Bradford and Buddy Napier have been fantastic out of the bullpen, getting the ball to Mike Henneman, who has been … um … yeah. Henneman ended the season tied for the league lead in saves with 38. But also with an ERA of 4.60 and 6 blown saves. So the Wolverines will still turn to him, but they’ll also still hold their breath occasionally.

The other addition of note for the Wolverines is young Al Kaline, who has just over 100 ABs under his belt. In that span, he’s slashing 301/374/573, and forcing his way into an already crowded OF.

Detroit is led by Ty Cobb (352/391/557 and 52 SBs) and Hank Greenberg (317/374/595 and a team leading 31 HR and 113 RBI). But there’s really not a weak spot here: Bob Bailey, Oscar Gamble, and Tony Phillips all have OPS over .800, and their weakest hitter–SS George Davis–compensates with spectacular glovework.

The final playoff spot fell to a choice between the fielding prowess of Jimmy Collins and the hot start to Olmedo Sáenz‘ career. Sáenz is slashing 292/378/415 over his first 20 games, and in the end the Wolverines thought that overcame Collins’ glove (Collins only managed a 225/266/360 slash line over 300 PAs).

#Birmingham Black Barons

Just … wow. From out of the race and clear sellers at the trade deadline to a one-game playoff for the division title.

Birmingham’s strength is its pitching, with 2 clear #1 starters in Alejandro Peña (12-9, 3.79) and Andy Pettitte (15-5, 3.20, and 6-1, 2.54 with Birmingham). Vic Willis (4-6, 3.57) will get the 3rd start, and beyond that the Black Barons will have to figure it out. The options are strong, there’s just not a lot to differentiate Scott Baker, Greg Maddux, Larry Benton and Sam Streeter.

Juan Rincón was moved into the closer’s role in late May, and has been solid with 26 saves and an ERA just over 3.00, and Harley Young‘s return from injury helps out the duo of Bruce Chen and Steve Bedrosian in the later innings.

Offensively, there is a sense of smoke and mirrors here. Hank Aaron led the team in HR and RBI (28 and 93, respectively) and Curtis Granderson carried them for some of the middle months, but both cooled off dramatically towards the end, with their OPS’ dipping below .800. Eddie Mathews (243/335/490) and Bob Nieman (296/368/475) picked up the slack, but its still a bit patchwork.

Newcomers Cupid Childs and Jim Pagliaroni have settled down the 2B and C positions, and Adrián González has provided some much-needed power, slugging over 200 points higher than he did with Chicago.

So far, enough people have been hot at different times–SS Herman Long, 1B Frank McCormick, Nieman–to keep scoring runs. But it’s precarious.

#Prediction

Detroit in 5. The fairy tale ends unless Aaron suddenly remembers to roll his wrists.

Series XXXIV Featured Matchup: Birmingham Black Barons @ Baltimore Black Sox

By mknn

On July 6, 2023

In Featured Games, Featured Series

Series preview here.

#Game 1: Andy Pettitte @ Bill Byrd

This has the chance to be a fantastic matchup. Baltimore’s Bill Byrd is 13-3 on the year with a 3.48 ERA while Birmingham’s Andy Pettitte is 14-4 with a league leading 3.14 ERA overall and a stunning 5-0 / 1.75 since joining the Black Barons.

And then we play the game: Byrd gave up an infield single, two walks, and hit a batter in the top of the first. But it all only resulted in a single run on a sacrifice fly to put the Black Barons up 1-0.

Pettitte was better through 3 frames, allowing only 2 hits. But Byrd didn’t allow another run, despite a steady stream of baserunners. Baltimore tied the game in the bottom of the 5th with consecutive hits from Dan McGann, Manny Machado, and Bryce Harper.

We were still tied at 1 after 7 innings, so it looked like this would be decided by the bullpens eventually.

Baltimore threatened in the bottom of the 9th, as Larry Gardner reached on an infield single and Frank Robinson walked. But Steve Bedrosian induced a foul pop from Curt Blefary, bringing up Ken Singleton … who laced a single back up the middle to score the winning run.

Bob Nieman had 3 hits for Birmingham, but this was a game for the pitchers: Pettitte allowed 1 run in 8 innings, Byrd 1 run in 7.

BBB 1 (Mercker 1-1) @ BAL 2 (Groom 2-2)
HRs: none.
Box Score

#Game 2: Greg Maddux @ Mike Mussina

Another potentially great matchup, this one between 2 pitchers who struggled at the start of the season only to come on strong. On May 18th, Birmingham’s Greg Maddux earned a trip to AAA with an ERA approaching 7. He was recalled just under a month later and, since then, has lowered his ERA to just under 3.00, locking up the #3 slot in the Black Barons’ rotation.

Mike Mussina started the season at AAA for the Black Sox, but quickly earned a recall to Baltimore, and while he’s been hit a bit in his last few starts, he stood at 4-1 with a 3.15 ERA on July 24th (he’s lost 2 of his last 3 starts and seen his ERA jump to 4.11 since then).

So, advantage Birmingham? It certainly seemed so early, as a Frank McCormick single drove in a run in the top of the first and solo shots from Herman Long and Bob Nieman increased the lead to 3-0 in the second.

But Maddux lost his usual pinpoint control, walking 3 and giving up 2 hits, allowing the Black Sox to tie the game in the bottom of the frame.

And so we stayed until a Frank Robinson shot into the leftfield stands in the bottom of the 5th. A double by Curt Blefary and a walk to Bryce Harper chased Maddux. Jim Whitney relieved him, walked in a run and gave up a 2-run single to Paul Blair as Baltimore surged into the lead, 7-3.

Blefary’s 3rd double of the day–tying the WBL record–was a weird and wind-blown thing, but in the end it was just another run scored for Baltimore as the game devolved into an 11-4 rout. Blefary finished with 4 hits and Blair with 3 RBIs.

For Birmingham, Nieman continued his hot streak with 3 hits, 2 runs, and 2 RBIs, but it was far from enough as Baltimore eased to a 2-0 lead in the series.

Baltimore’s Rafael Betancourt and Milt Pappas both made their WBL debuts in relief.

BBB 4 (Maddux 4-6) @ BAL 11 (Mussina 6-3)
HRs: BBB – Long (9), Nieman (12); BAL – Robinson (34).
Box Score

#Game 3: Alejandro Peña @ Connie Johnson

Birmingham turned to Alejandro Peña, their #1 starter all season, to try to get something out of the series, with Baltimore countering with a rested Connie Johnson, displacing Jim Palmer from his scheduled start. Johnson and Peña matched each other through 5, with neither allowing a run despite a fair sprinkling of hits for each side (6 for Birmingham, 5 for Baltimore).

Peña would crack first in the bottom of the 6th, as Larry Gardner doubled to lead off the frame and moved to third on a single from Frank Robinson. Curt Blefary brought Gardner home with a sacrifice fly to right, but Dan McGann hit into a double play to limit the damage to a single run.

The 1-0 lead seemed like it might be enough, as Johnson was getting stronger as the game wore on, fanning 2 each in the 6th and the 7th, but a leadoff double in the 8th by Adrián González chased him from the mound, with Baltimore bringing in their current closer, lefty Buddy Groom to face the pinch-hitting Jim Whitney. Whitney moved Al Schweitzer–pinch-running for González–to third with a ground out, but Groom got a popout from Billy Southworth and struck out Bob Nieman to end the inning.

Groom gave up a pinch-hit to Pie Traynor in the top of the 9th, but held on for the narrow victory.

Robinson had 3 hits in the victory.

BBB 0 (Peña 11-9) @ BAL 1 (Johnson 2-1; Groom 6 Sv)
HRs: none.
Box Score

#Game 4: Vic Willis @ Dennis Martínez

Baltimore’s sweep of the first 3 games dropped Birmingham to a game behind in the Marvin Miller Division. The Black Barons will turn to Vic Willis to try to salvage a game while the Black Sox will counter with their ace, Dennis Martínez.

Chick Stahl took advantage of his first opportunity in the WBL, sending a pitch from Willis deep into the LF stands in his first at-bat in the bigs for a 1-0 Baltimore lead, but Eddie Mathews tagged Martínez for his 23rd of the year to tie it up in the 4th. A 2nd run scored on an Adrián González sacrifice fly, and the Black Barons held a slim lead, 2-1.

Baltimore looked to tie it up in the bottom of the inning when, with one out and the bases loaded, Manny Machado launched a fly to right, but Hank Aaron sent an absolute strike to the plate, cutting down Curtis Granderson attempting to score form third. An RBI from Cupid Childs added to the lead in the 5th, and then 2 out hits from González and Jim Pagliaroni both added to the lead and chased Martínez from the mound in the 6th. That made it 4-1 in favor of Birmingham with Willis sailing along, allowing only 5 hits and 1 run through 5 innings.

A solo shot from Curt Blefary made it 4-2, but Herman Long preserved the 3 run lead with an RBI double in the 7th which was followed by a 2-run single from Granderson, and the flood gates opened from there. By the time the inning was over, Birmingham was up 10-2.

Baltimore would score a couple times, but not enough to threaten. Long, Pagliaroni, and Traynor each had 3 hits for Birmingham. The game saw 3 OF kills: 2 by Birmingham (Aaron and Granderson) and 1 from Baltimore’s Stahl.

BBB 10 (Willis 4-3) @ BAL 4 (Martínez 14-9)
HRs: BBB – Mathews (23); BAL – Stahl (1), Blefary (23).
Box Score

Series XXXIV Preview: Birmingham Black Barons @ Baltimore Black Sox

By mknn

On June 30, 2023

In Featured Series, Series Previews

Nobody has more at stake in this series than Portland: if Baltimore–the best team in the league–can slow down Birmingham, Portland may be able to sneak by them into first place in the Marvin Miller Division.

Baltimore has been featured in Series IX, XVI, XXV, and XXIX; Birmingham in Series III, XIV, XXIII, and just now in XXXI.

#Birmingham Black Barons

In 3 months, the Black Barons went from a dozen games below .500 to a dozen games above, taking them from the basement to first place in their division. They’ve done it with spectacular pitching and a seeming omniscient sense of how to navigate the trade market.

Andy Pettitte is 5-0 with a 1.75 ERA since joining Birmingham, joining advanced metrics darling Alejandro Peña (11-8, 3.82, but with a 4.5 WAR and 3.49 FIP) and Greg Maddux (a 2.97 ERA) to form as fearsome a front of the rotation is exists in the league. While Juan Ríncón has been hit a little harder of late, he’s still got 22 saves and a solid 3.45 ERA, with both Steve Bedrosian and Bruce Chen proving quite capable as setup men.

Offensively, it’s a patchwork quilt, but it’s getting the job done. Eddie Mathews and Hank Aaron lead the offense, although neither is a superstar, they each sport an OPS around .820 and have combined for 49 homeruns and 158 RBIs. Cupid Childs has locked down the 2B job, managing an OPS over .900 through his first 100 ABs, but other than that … Bob Nieman has been solid in the OF, Herman Long hits really well for a SS, Curtis Granderson is a threat … patchwork.

#Baltimore Black Sox

We kept waiting for the Black Sox to stumble, but they never did. Turns out good pitching and good hitting tends to win games.

Strictly speaking, the pitching has been a bit better. The front 3 of the rotation (Dennis Martínez, Bill Byrd, and Mike Mussina) has been excellent, but there is very little drop off to Connie Johnson, Jim Palmer, and Johnny Sain (the last 2 have alternated in and out of the fifth slot all year, currently, it’s Palmer’s). Byrd, Johnson, and Martínez all have ERA’s under 4.00, led by Byrd at 3.48. Martínez leads in victories with 14, but Byrd’s record is better at 13-3 on the season. The bullpen seems to have settled a bit behind the superlative Buddy Groom (13 H, 5 Sv, and a 2.03 ERA), although the loss of Sean Marshall has certainly hurt.

Frank Robinson is a bonafide star, with 33 HR and 102 RBIs driving an OPS near .900. But Baltimore is very solid top to bottom, 2B Larry Gardner, SS Bobby Wallace, and 1B Dan McGann all sporting OBP’s near .400 and Curt Belfary (22), Manny Machado (17), and Ken Singleton (16) all adding power.

#Projected Starters

Birmingham’s pitcher listed first.

Andy Pettitte (14-4, 3.14) @ Bill Byrd (13-3, 3.48)
Greg Maddux (4-5, 2.97) @ Mike Mussina (5-3, 4.09)
Scott Baker (7-4, 4.68) @ Jim Palmer (9-8, 4.65)
Alejandro Peña (11-8, 3.82) @ Connie Johnson (6-5, 3.88)